The present invention relates to sewn articles and sewing operations and, more particularly, to sewn attachment of different pieces of material by gussets.
In the sewn construction of padded articles, such as mattresses and furniture cushions, a padded layer or layers may be enclosed in upholstery and attached by a gusset to an accompanying pad or spring unit. For example, in a pillow-top style mattress, a pillow-top is attached to a panel by a gusset, which in one form is a folded band of material sewn along a fold line of the panel, and then sewn to a flange (which is subsequently stapled to the mattress) along the first edge opposite the fold and sewn to the pillow-top along the second edge opposite the fold, thereby attaching the pad to the mattress. At corners of the panel to which the gusset is sewn, the gusset is mitered at a seam to allow the gusset to turn the ninety degree corner of the mattress. The mitering of the gusset at the corners requires at least one miter cut to be made in the gusset at each right angle corner of the adjoining panel. Each of the mitered corner cuts must be precisely measured and individually sewn so that the gusset forms a closed structure between the mattress and the pillow-top. In a manual assembly process, the gusset is separately constructed by sewing together each leg of the gusset at the mitered corners to form a gusset frame which matches the mattress panel. The gusset is then sewn to the edges of the panel of the mattress by a tape edge. Thereafter, the pillow-top is attached to the other free edge of the gusset by a second tape edge. If the miter cuts at the corners of the gussets are not made at the correct angles, the gusset corner will not have a smooth contour or appearance. Also, in articles where the gusset remains visible, the multiple seams in the gusset are unsightly and vulnerable to separation. Constructing a gusset this way is a tedious manual production process which adds significantly to the cost of producing pillow-top mattresses and similar sewn articles.
Therefore, there is a need for a mattress having a continuously cornered gussets. There is also a need for a system for producing mattresses having continuously cornered gussets. There is also a need for a system that combines the process for sewing the flange and the gusset to the panel, or for a system that eliminates the need for a flange.